The Cascading Emotions of Warfare
by Col98
Summary: A direct adaptation of the game written in prose.
1. Prologue

_The year was 1935 EC,  
Two powers controlled the continent,  
In the East, the sun rose over the Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance, otherwise known as The Empire,  
In the West, a network of loosely allied democracies formed the Atlantic Federation,  
Both powers depended on a precious mineral, ragnite, for their survival,  
And its growing scarcity led to the inevitable war._

They attacked fast and strong, amidst the burning flames, fully armored soldiers emerged carrying the latest technological lances. The red armor wrapped around their bodies completely, making them appear like medieval knights. They weren't human; they were nothing but mindless drones working for a single colony. Like ants, they attacked with precision, in numbers, organized, and fast. Behind those helmets I imagined not a human face, but a face of a monster, Frankenstein- that's how we, soldiers of the Federation saw the Imperials when they began invading our border cities en masse. The anonymity of the Imperials had a strange demoralizing effect on us. We saw their forces as an endless wave of death. No matter how many we killed, we imagined more and more of the same soldiers continuing the attack. They were not an army fighting for freedom, but a machine pushing forward to conquer and divide Europa.

The city of Lendin has long since fallen. Even as we stand in this hellish world, choking on the fumes of smoke from exhausted tank shells, and promising to hold the line, there is no point in it anymore. The battle is lost, and the war just might follow. My vision is painted red with my own blood flowing down my eyes. It's impossible to shoot anything now. My breathing is unsteady, my muscles are aching, and my skin is seared. I can't move my body, much less stand up, so the only thing I can do for now is sit behind this pile of rubble, awaiting my death. As the red Imperial army approaches through a cloud of smoke, I could feel desperation welling up inside me. They were truly monsters, there's no way they'll take me as a prisoner and let me live. There's just no way…

"Hey, this one's still alive." A soldier, a lancer, looks over my body and speaks with a shallow, echoing voice.

He waves for his comrades to come, much to my horror. I had a feeling that they were going to make fun of death. They were probably going to publicly execute me slowly, painfully. Three more Imperials approach me, rifles slung over their shoulders. I let out a painful groan as they come, were they laughing, smiling, or were they frowning of sympathy behind those metal helms? It doesn't matter now, all hope is lost... In a few seconds, one of these monsters is going to raise his hand, a bundle of bills in his hand, inviting his comrades for a bet.

'How long is this lowly Federal soldier going to last? Place your bets, boys!'

Yeah, something like that. The harsh reality strikes my failing heart and I feel even more depressed. I'm afraid, scared, terrified. What a nightmare, sitting battered and bleeding in a ruined city I once called my home. I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable end to come. Hopefully they take pity upon my soul and just shoot me in the head. That way, I can reunite with my parents in heaven, or god-knows-where…

"Tend to his wounds."

"What?"

"You know how General Bles works. We annihilate and overwhelm the enemy, then if we find any of them alive, we take them into our care as prisoners of war. She doesn't have the spine to live up to the more brutal tactics employed by the other generals, but hey, she's our boss."

What…

"That's a waste of time and resources. Why don't we just kill him here?"

"Because if you do that, I'm going straight to our mom and tell her what you did."

"Hah."

"Anyway, get him up and bring him to our medics. Place him at the back of the line; tend to his wounds if he survives the wait."

My bones creak painfully as two cold hands lift me up by the arms. I can't even plant my legs firmly on the ground, so I'm merely forced to be dragged on my feet. This feeling of powerlessness makes me feel uncomfortable and humiliated. My mind races, imagining what horrors I would receive from my Imperial captors. But my mind begins to fade from exhaustion and sadness. The world descends into an uninviting darkness around me, as my breathing slows down from the numerous wounds I've received. How… sad… despite being saved… by the people I once thought monsters… I'm still… going… to…

_Hostilities began in the east when the Empire aggressively crossed their western border,  
The Atlantic Federation responded and the Second Europan War (EWII) was on,  
The Empire, with its vast military superiority, struck hard,  
Gaining ground in early victories and putting The Federation on the defensive,  
Emboldened by their progress and momentum,  
The Empire set their sights beyond the borders of The Federation…_

_

* * *

_: Prologue:

**

* * *

**

Ever since I was a little boy, I always preferred staying in the countryside than being at the heart of a capital city. It's not like there's anything wrong with being surrounded by modern architecture, but I'm not as comfortable as I usually am when I'm in the city. Everything feels a little too artificial for me. But I had to go to the capital to continue my studies. Very few colleges offered a degree in Animal Sociology, so I had no choice but to move there. But it still took quite some time before I got used to the atmosphere. There were very few trees, and only a few brave birds dared nested in the high buildings. Interesting specimens were hard to find except for the laboratories inside Randgriz University.

Back in the capital, I would see a tall building every few meters, the largest of which was Castle Randgriz. As a child, I loved watching the sun set over the distant horizon. But in Randgriz it was completely different. It was more like, 'watching the sun set in the distant nearby rooftop'. I'm not complaining anymore though, because I'm finally back home.

"I haven't been down this road in ages."

Fields of green as far as the eye could see, small stone walls lining the dirt roads, and distant windmills… Bruhl hasn't changed even after all these years. The smell of nature, the fresh breath of the vastness of the green lands, invades my nostrils. My eyes are greeted with the sunlight bearing down on me, it's not too hot, and it's not too cold. The weather is a bit humid though, but it's the start of spring so it's not that much of a surprise. However, despite the beauty of the countryside all around me, the look on people's faces reflects a completely different mood.

As I look far into the horizon, I spot a small crowd of people walking out of the city, heading inland towards the capital. It looks like the evacuation's already begun. Ever since news of the Empire's intentions reached the ears of Castle Randgriz, the family has been calling out to its citizens in the border towns to head inland for their own safety. Juno and Faldio thought that I was crazy when I told them my intention of doing just the opposite, namely, leaving the capital and heading outland toward a border town such as Bruhl. Though, they understood after a while when I explained to them that my reason for coming was to pick up my sist-

"Whoa, already?"

My eyes chance upon a small stream, or rather, to three small trout swimming in the stream. I quickly reach into my bag and pull out my handy notebook. I get on my knees and examine the little creatures, the fins, the body shape, the size, yep, they're light trout alright! After pulling out my pen from my shirt pocket, everything just falls into place. My pen moves rhythmically up and down, left and right, sketching the fish in detail even though they're moving slightly about. I check my wristwatch for the time and lick my thumb to check the wind direction, though after a few seconds, I realize that doing the latter was pointless.

Ah well, it's still amazing how these guys are already showing up at this early time of the month. Bruhl's location in the northern hemisphere, and its locations within the rolling hills of Gallia, is really influencing the migratory patterns of these fish.

"Hold it right there!" a female voice speaks to me commandingly.

"…eh?"

"Drop the pen, stand up, and put your hands behind your head."

But… the fish…

Oh, they can stay right there. I better listen to what she's saying. I fold my notebook and slowly get up, taking care not to do any sudden movements. As I turn around, I'm greeted with the sight of a girl wearing a blue dress uniform with a single white stripe running down its center. Her brown hair tied in a pair of pigtails, divided by what appears to be a red scarf. She doesn't seem all that happy to see me though, maybe it has something to do with the gun she has precariously aimed at my chest.

"I haven't seen you before and there's been rumor of imperial spies appearing around town lately." she speaks to me in a no-nonsense tone. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Welkin, pardon me for asking, but… you are?"

"I'm the one with the gun."

Oh, well I got burned right there. Her brown orbs remain fixed on me as her hand grips the gun, her eyes glinting with conviction. Behind her stands two men dressed in roughly the same uniform, they too are holding their rifles stiffly. I'm really surprised; I didn't expect the welcoming committee to be like this.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, 'the one with the gun'." Maybe humoring her will do me some good?

"Very funny." she frowns and pokes me in the chest with her rifle. Well that didn't work.

"I'm Alicia, Alicia Melchiott. I'm a captain of Bruhl's town watch, what's your business here?"

Humoring her will get me nowhere. It's better if I just tell her everything, maybe she'll understand and let me be. If I end up giving excuses, she might doubt me and hold me here longer.

"I'm… actually here to pick up my little sister." I scratch the back of my head. "But as you can see, I got distracted a bit…"

"What's in that notebook?" she really doesn't sound all that convinced.

"I told you, fish." I lean forward and slowly hand her the leatherback notebook. "Well, it'd be ridiculous if I was able to fit an entire fish inside, so I sketch them in detail, writing down their migratory pattern, their eating habits, and…"

"Okay, okay, explain the rest of your story down the station." she pockets my notebook (that skirt has a pocket?) before looking at the two men beside her. "Take him away."

Though they appeared older than her, the two watchmen follow her command without question. They grab me from either side, one of which picks up my bag, and pulls me away. I lower my head in defeat, sighing aloud.

"Thank you, fish."

* * *

Alicia Melchiott, hmm… I'll have to take note of this name.

This isn't how I imagined myself walking down the countryside, but it's enjoyable in its own right. There aren't many trees around and it's mostly an open field, but it's still such a beautiful place. Even though I've been bullied by a girl younger than me by a few years, and even though I'm being restrained by her two lackeys, Bruhl's open lands remain to be serene and peaceful. It's unworldly to think that war will inevitably reach these grounds…

"Wow… you weren't kidding. Sketches, notes, diagrams and charts, these are really detailed…" she walks ahead of me and the two watchmen, while marveling at my sketches and writings.

"See? Can you let me go now?" I plead.

"No." she turns on her heel and raises a finger. "There's a fair chance that these are all secret imperial codes. We're going to have to decipher your writing with the proper processing before we can let you go."

"You have to be kidding me."

"I'm not~"

She turns back on her heel and continues moving forward. However, just then, a voice calls out my name, causing all of us to stop in our tracks. I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't jump when I saw that familiar face standing just beyond a small walking bridge. It's kinda funny, how she doesn't look that much different over these years.

"Welks?" she shouts my name worriedly as she runs to me with her hands cupped. She runs straight past a slightly stunned Alicia. "What did you get yourself into this time?"

"Oh hey, Isara, it's been a while, hasn't it?" I try my best to greet her, but my movement's a little restricted right now, you see.

She scowls like a duck as she looks at my captors, assessing the situation. Thinking about it, I get it now why so many people act surprised whenever Isara and I claim to be siblings. Our appearances are completely far apart. In contrast to the rather tall Alicia, Isara's a bit small, even for her age; some might even call her frail. Sadly, that's one of the few reasons why some people discriminate against her. The main reason stems from her heritage and appearance. Short blue hair and big blue eyes, and a brown cape tied around her shoulders, Isara has never been shy of her lineage. She's proud that she's a Darcsen.

That's something that I admire about her.

"I'm sorry miss, but do you need anything with my brother?" Isara asks Alicia, probably after realizing that she's the leader of this trio.

"Uhm…" I notice Alicia staring at Isara's patterned cape, worrying me slightly. "Hold on, don't you live in the General's old home?"

"I sure do, miss." Isara answers in a formal, humble voice. "I'm the general's daughter, Isara."

Alicia blinks twice and tilts her head, seemingly confused. She then slowly turns her head, looking at me quizzically.

"…and you're saying that this guy is your brother?"

Isara nods. "Yes, he's here to help me evacuate."

Alicia continues to tilt her head, before she glances at Isara. She then looks at me. Then back to Isara. The process repeats itself a few more times before she stops and look at the sky, puffing her cheeks like a confused child. Come to think about it, those pigtails make her look youthful, while at the same time her actions express maturity.

"If it helps, let me tell you that he's fond of getting distracted by nature."

The pigtailed girl looks at me and narrows her eyes.

"Guilty as charged." I say with a half-shrug.

Isara's words are enough to convince Alicia, apparently.

"Ah, I see, I see…" Alicia says, content with my sister's words. She snaps her fingers like a magician commanding her assistants, and her watchmen follow her order almost instantly.

My shoulders are relieved of the watchmen's grip, which is a fairly good feeling. Isara makes her way toward with her hands held together. I'm glad negotiations went well, I felt like a caged cockatoo back there.

"You know, if I hadn't come, you'd probably be sitting in the slammer by now." Isara says jokingly as she fixes my ruffled collar.

"Heh, that's true."

"Hey!" Alicia drops her hand down between the two of us. "You really can't blame me, you know. I was only doing my job."

I raise my hands defensively, it's better to remain on good terms with her. "I'm not, I'm not, well, if you think about it, I guess you could say that I really _did _look a bit suspicious back there."

Alicia finally seems to understand what I'm getting at. She smiles at me kindly, softly, her small lips curving upward. A small gust of wind blows, and I guess you could say that it helps me see how interestingly cute she is.

"…"

This is all getting a bit weird.

_Ratta! Ratta!_

The distant sound of rifles going off catches everybody's attention instantly.

"Gunfire!" Alicia quickly faces the direction of the noise while Isara and I fall to the ground, protecting our heads with our hands from any possible stray bullets.

I look ahead while covering Isara with my body. Not too far away from us are three Imperial soldiers, fully armored and armed with low caliber rifles. The three men run down a green hill, firing their rifles at the nearest civilians they could find- three helpless people hiding behind a truck. The atmosphere has completely changed now. The air of a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, has disappeared giving way to the dreadfulness of the attack.

"Jean! Miguro-!" Alicia's voice booms with urgency.

"We're on it, Miss Melchiott." one of the men nods in compliance, seemingly understanding what Alicia wants them to do.

Without hesitation, the two watchmen run bravely toward the Imperial enemies.

A scene plays out before my eyes.

Two town watchmen run bravely into battle, hoping to save three unarmed civilians. Are they farmers, are they teachers, are they authors, bakers, even? Even if the Imperials are just scouting units, they're better armed, better armored, and probably better trained. No matter what angle you use to assess the situation, the odds aren't on their favor. There are different sandbags scattered in the area which can be used for soft cover. Every person in Gallia is issued basic weapons training at a certain age, in case a war comes up. Those watchmen seemed to be diligent students in their time. That's good. They play smart and run behind the sandbags for cover.

_Ratta! Ratta! Rattattat! Rattat!_

The watchmen open fire at the Imperials, successfully hitting one through a gap in his armor. The armored man falls to the ground with a loud crash, he rolls down the hill but he doesn't seem to dead just yet. The two other Imperials ignore their fallen comrade and immediately divert their attention to the watchmen. They fire rounds into the soft cover and into the soil, missing the watchmen by inches.

"Get up! Come on!" one of the watchmen shouts to the civilians while returning fire.

My heart skips a beat once I realize that the civilians look like a small family. A young teenager with a brown cap, and a woman and her husband… there's no mistaking it; they're a family, like me and Isara. Imperial and Gallian-made bullets whiz over their heads, crisscrossing and cutting the air. They're scared, not for their own lives, but for the lives of their loved ones.

"We have to help them…" I mutter beneath my breath.

"What was that, Welkin?" Alicia's eyes open wide after hearing my words.

"Isara, can you hide for a while?" I look down at my sister, pleading her to stay safe. She understands the emotion behind my glare, and nods in accordance.

"W—Welkin?"

There's no time to hesitate. I let go of my sister and she scuttles over to a nearby stone wall. She lies on her back, the low wall hiding her body from view of the Imperials. I don't waste time; I get on my feet and begin walking to my right, making sure that I stay low to the ground. Alicia stays behind, almost looking like she's confused with what's going on, but I know that I have something I must do. After finding decent cover behind a flourishing tree, I signal for Alicia to come with a hand signal.

She finally gets a grip of what she's supposed to do. She nods before sprinting with all her strength.

"GALLIAN SCUM!"

The voice is gruff and rough. I lean out to see just what's going on. One of the Imperial soldiers, the one who was just shot, pulls out a small blue sphere. Is that some medicine? Or could it be… no, it's something else. He digs his finger into the soft membrane triggering the countdown. The soldier clumsily arcs his back, gaining momentum before he throws the ragnite grenade into the air. Having performing his last desperate act, his body falls unmoving on the ground.

As the grenade arcs in the air, time slows down around me. The grenade lands on the green grass, just short of a few inches from the parked truck. But I know that's close enough. With time suspended around me, I'm given the opportunity to absorb my surroundings.

The two Gallian watchmen grip their rifles, their faces twisting with an unworldly anger.  
Alicia runs to me, her long locks flying in the wind, dust on her clothes and hair.  
Small red explosions exit from the Imperial's weapons as they continue to fire.  
Then finally, the grenade… slowly expands into a sphere of blue.

The flow of time returns, and the explosion goes off in full blast. The volatile mix of ragnite explodes and ignites the ragnite in the truck, engulfing the vehicle and the grass around it in blue and red flames. In the span of not even a second, the three civilians who have used the truck as their protective refuge become consumed by the flame and the splintered debris. The explosion is large enough to reach us, even at this distance. Bits and pieces of metal fly off in every direction.

"Alicia!"

I leave the cover of the tree and run forward. Alicia skids to a halt as I run to her with my outstretched arms. I crash into her, ungracefully throwing her to the ground. My body shields her from any of the debris flying over us. The explosion brings with it a small heat wave that rolls over my back.

"Are you alright?"

"I…" she stares at me, unsure of how to answer.

I'm not that surprised, really. Despite belonging in the town watch, I'm sure that this is her first time experiencing any real combat. It's natural for her to react this way, I'm sure I was a bit traumatized during the first weeks of advanced training back in the University.

"Can you get off me, please?" confidence replaces the confusion in her stare.

Oh… maybe she just feels awkward in our precarious position. Respecting her request, I roll my body off her and crawl back behind the tree. I lean back out and see the lifeless bodies of those three civilians. My heart sinks upon seeing them. I can't believe… I just let that happen. I hear the moving of dirt as Alicia makes her way beside me, peering over the same corner.

"No…"

She whispers in a low voice, cupping her mouth. I can feel her trying to hold back her tears, and her anger. She stands up in force, her dirt-covered hands gripping her dirty rifle.

"We have to get back at them! They're only a scouting team; the four of us should be able to-" I stand up beside her but hold back her arm.

"We're better off approaching this situation carefully." I speak to her slowly, she watches me with her eyes nearly tearing up. "Even if they're just a scouting team, we should do this carefully, concisely. Trust me." I don't want any more lives to be lost.

Alicia's breathing steadies as she closes her eyes. She opens her eyes a moment later after seemingly catching her breath. I can see the strength in her eyes, but they are no longer fueled blindly by anger, behind that strength is a degree of concentration.

"Alright, I don't have anything with me, right now, so we're going to have to do this together."

"Okay, I understand." she nods as she holds her rifle close to her.

_Ratta! Ratta! Ratta!_

They're still going at it, neither side is giving in. But that stalemate is going to end soon, even though the Imperials are better than the watchmen in every way possible, they're standing out in the open, dodging bullets only because of the watchmen's shaky aim. The same can be said about the watchmen, they're safe thanks to their cover. Their attention is focused on each other, so Alicia and I should find a way to flank them.

Let's see. The ground isn't level here; there are hills and bumps on the dirt road, with broken stone walls going in the same direction. Trees, an extension of that stream from before flowing into a shallow pond… can we use those?

"Alicia. We should find a way to flank them. They don't know we're here right now, and I intend to keep it that way."

She nods, her attention remains focused on the Imperials. She raises the rifle close to her face and aligns the crosshairs.

"Listen, even if your aim is good, that rifle can only shoot accurately so far. You won't be able to take them all out at the same time. But I guess you know that already from your friends over there."

Alicia lowers her rifle and smiles at me with a glance. "Just practicing."

I sigh and drop my shoulders. "Anyway, do you see those shrubs, and those trees?"

"Yeah."

"We can leapfrog our way through them, _if _we're careful enough." I explain to her while pointing at the flora in question.

Alicia lowers her stance and prepares to run, understanding my plan of action.

"Okay, on three…" I lower myself beside her.

"THREE!" She shouts before running in a straight line toward the nearest bush.

I watch her run ahead of me, surprised as heck, before running after her. I don't know how, but she seems to understand the path I've mapped out in my head. Her boots dig into the earth following the invisible lines I imagined. After running about, we reach a sunken area behind the Imperial scouts. Just as we catch sight of their vulnerable backs turned against us however, a pained shriek echoes in the air.

"Ughh!"

One of the watchmen was just shot, I don't know where, but he falls on his back in a pool of blood. The Imperial soldiers continue their relentless attacks while crouching. That was the last draw, Alicia and I can no longer hold ourselves. We slowly stand up and walk toward them, taking care to pace ourselves, moving not too fast, and not too slow. Then, a mistake…

I'm not sure which one us was moving too fast, but someone notices. One of the standing scouts quickly turns his rifle intending to fire at us. But before he could move the rifle halfway, Alicia fires.

_Ratta!_

A hot bullet escapes the barrel of her gun, hitting the Imperial's headpiece. The bullet ricochets off but the force of the impact is strong enough to send him off balance. Alicia fires again…

_Ratta!_

…and again…

_Ratta!_

…and again…

_Ratta!_

It doesn't matter how tough a beetle's armor is, a hundred bees' stings will eventually bring it down.

"Shit! Shit!"

The other Imperial soldier notices his friend's body flopping down beside him, so his instincts dictate him to return fire. But Alicia is one step ahead of him. Her reflexes are fast, sharp, and accurate. She empties the second half of her magazine on the second target, with the bullets hitting his face and center mass. A few lucky shots make their way through gaps in his armor downing him with a pained moan.

The second Imperial falls beside his friend's body, unmoving and dead. Alicia's shoulders move up and down as she catches her breath… I walk and stand next to her, watching the changing emotions on her face… from anger, to pain, to bravery, to focus, to relief, then to happiness…

I can't help but feel fascinated.

"We did it." a lone teardrop rolls down her face.

* * *

The windmill's fans spin slowly from the eastern wind.

I stand beside Isara, holding my bag.

The breeze lifts Alicia's hair as she stares at a single Lion's Paw.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people of this town." she speaks modestly but with different emotions building up inside her. "I'll do it. Even going to war, I'll do it."

The girl opens her palm releasing white seeds that take flight in the wind.

"What are those?" Isara asks.

"Seeds from the Lion's Paw." I answer. "It blooms white. Small, simple, and strong."

"I want to be able to remember, once the war is over… That it wasn't all just people killing people. That even in war, there was also new life."

* * *

_On the 15__th__ Day of the third month of the year 1935,  
the Empire began its assault in earnest,  
A formal declaration of war was made upon Gallia,  
Though it was only a small front in a massive continental assault,  
what followed would prove that a tiny nation could best a military giant._

_These events would tell a story of tragedy hidden in the mists of time._

_A story of courage and of trust, of persecution and hate…_

_And of love blooming, even through the flames of war._

_What follows is a record of this conflict,  
and of those who fought, lived, and died._

_

* * *

_Valkyria Chronicles  
**The Cascading Emotions of Warfare**  
: End Prologue :

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well, after continually revising my novel from a light novel, to a regular novel, to a visual novel, I've decided... SCREW THIS I'M WRITING VALKYRIA CHRONICLES! :|

The initial inspiration for writing this fic comes from my discontent with the anime series. It just tries to be so overly dramatic, leaving it to ignore the more awesome scenes in the game. Like what the hell is up with Faldio's interest in Alicia? And Alicia being a tsundere? And Welkin doubting his feelings with everybody's favorite baddass scout? There were so many things wrong with the portrayal of the anime, the only thing good I can say about it is how awesome Hans remains to be. But then again, Hans is always awesome.

The manga stays truer to the franchise, but I still wanted to do something that involved telling the story of Valkyria Chronicles.

So, I decided to novelize it, or at least _try _to. With this, I won't be changing anything from the game, I won't be introducing pointless half-assed love triangles like in the anime, and I won't introduce half a dozen characters who'll end up dying anyway. I can't make any promises, but I'll try my best to stay straight and true to this game that remains to be one of my primary sources of inspiration.

So here's a day's work of editing and proofreading, hoping I can please. There's actually an older version of this, but I wrote it during writer's block, so it's... crap. The writing is dry, and all that.

Well, please read and review. Even if you don't review, it just pleases me that you've read my work.


	2. Chapter 1: In Defense of Bruhl

It all came too suddenly for me, and for everyone. Ever since we heard news of the war breaking out between the Empire and the Federation, we knew in our hearts that the war would one day reach us. It's a battle between two giants and our tiny country is stuck in the middle. The air in Bruhl got heavier that day. Less and less people visited the bakery, and business began running low. Fewer people could be seen walking outside. Everybody was too busy packing up their things for the evacuation. I've enlisted as a member of the Town Watch in these hard times. I even landed a nice position as a leader of a small team because of the lack of responsible volunteers. Noce helped me adjust to everything, though I learned everything else with experience. I didn't even plead for the respect of my men, I gained them. It didn't take long before everyone started evacuating to the capital. Being a member of the town watch, I saw it as my duty to guide and protect everyone as they left the town. There was no telling when and where the Imperials were going to come.

Until they did.

At first I thought I could handle the situation with everything I've got, bravely, concisely. But as those shots ringed in my ears, and as I watched those helpless people get shot at by those scouts, I just... couldn't move. My lack of experience comes back to haunt me. Jean and Miguro got on their feet and immediately got to work while I laid low and watched them. Eventually though, I got a grip on the situation, and moved all on my own.

_Move. Move. Move. Move. Stand up. Fight._

I kept telling myself that.

But something was still wrong. Even though I've mustered up the raw bravery needed to move amidst gunfire, I wasn't thinking straight. That's when I received calming advice from someone I didn't expect- Welkin Gunther, a nature enthusiast, whom I've just embarrassingly suspected of being a spy. He didn't do much, except tell me the flaws in my plan, and that how I should hold my breath, and my emotions just before pulling the trigger.

"_We're better off approaching this situation carefully."_

His words were calm and collected, in contrast to the bullets going off in the background. Long story short, thanks to this mysterious man from the capital, three inexperienced town watchmen were able to hold off a small attack from trained Imperial scouts. Both sides suffered from the small skirmish. Gallia has lost Miguro, a kind middle-aged man who dreams of being a painter while the Empire lost 3 faceless scouts.

But even if they're just scouts clad in armor, I knew that they were still human beneath that metal.

We buried them, in respect to their country, to their loved ones, and to those they've left behind….

* * *

Chapter 1  
**: In Defense of Bruhl :**

* * *

It wasn't easy forgetting about what happened just an hour ago. I thought that the negative emotions I felt when fighting those Imperials would take some time to go away. But I realized that when I saw the two windmills standing strong in the center of Mill Plaza, everything was still alright. They are, after all, the town's landmarks of strength and fortitude. In a sense, the two windmills were signs that the town was still standing. The moment they came into view, my whole being felt lighter.

"Ummmah…" Welkin Gunther, my unexpected adviser, says as he stretches his arms.

Walking between us is Isara, his apparent little sister. You know, I think they're lying to me. They don't look alike at all. They might as well be from different parents. But I'm not going to dig into that for now.

"Seeing that old mill spinning again, really makes it feel like home sweet home." he says as he rubs his chin.

I smile faintly as I listen to him talk.

"Ha ha, I hear that." I nod once as I look up at the mills, placing my hands on my waist. "It really is one of the most beautiful things about this town."

The two windmills are the tallest and strongest buildings in all of Bruhl. They stand together, atop a small hill surrounded by small houses and trees. Their fans are made of a light but hard paper, which in my opinion somewhat symbolizes the strength of Bruhl's citizens. They stand together, linked by a single metal shaft. To me, that too symbolized something about the camaraderie shared by the people here.

I don't know why. But I'm feeling better already!

I should get going. With this in thought, I turn to face Welkin and his sister and salute energetically.

"Well citizens, our enemy can't be far behind!" they turn to look at me, Welkin smiling a bit more than his sister. "I thank you for your help. Goodbye and take care."

With one last modest giggle and wave, I leave them be. There are still so many things to do before the evacuation completes, so I should go to headquarters and report what transpired.

* * *

The wind blows, and some small leaves fly and land by my shoes. I look around and see only a handful of people walking around, carrying what little luggage they can manage. It feels so eerie walking around town like this. It feels so abandoned, empty. But even in this vacancy, the town is still beautiful… I just hope that once the Gallian Army gets here they'll be able to protect this town. As much as possible, I want everything to be preserved the way it was before.

"Aliciaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

My chain of thought is interrupted by the sound of someone shouting my name a _little _too enthusiastically.

He comes running at me with his tears sparkling from the sun.

"Hey, Noc-"

Before I could even finish saying his name, he comes right up to me and hugs me, or rather, nearly squeezes me to death. His generous hug leaves me stunned and confused for a good 5 seconds before I finally decide to politely ask him to back off.

"No—Noce, I'm happy to see you too." okay, maybe that doesn't sound too convincing.

Luckily though, he seems to understand what I'm trying to say so he lets go of me and backs a bit off. This dark haired guy right here is a good friend of mine, Noce Wordsworth. He wipes the tears from his eyes as he tries fixing his dirty uniform. Wait…

"Noce, did something happen? You're covered in dirt."

"O—Oh, these." he straightens up and shrugs in a vain attempt to look cool. "I just tripped, that's all."

"…okay." that really had the adverse effect back there.

Noce glances at me once before coughing into his hand. "Okay fine, actually my group and I encountered a couple if Imps by Mrs. Marlboro's house."

"Wow, I see. Well, thankfully you're fine." Smile.

So there was more than one scouting group. I'm inclined to ask him more questions about what happened after, but I have somewhere I have to be.

"I'm going to go on ahead now." I say as I walk. "I have to report to the chief about what happened to me as well."

"Okay, I'm glad you're alive, Alicia dear!" Then out of nowhere, Noce erupts into song… an intelligible song… It's not that he's a bad singer or anything, but he has such a heavy accent while singing that it's hard to understand if he's confessing his love to me or if he just stubbed his toe.

* * *

Since Bruhl is a pretty small town, it's no surprise that the Town Watch's headquarters is equally small. But even though it's only inside a dusty old shack, it's still cozy in its own little way. I better not say that out loud right now though since everybody looks serious and busy. Even when I practically stormed into the room everyone was still focused on the map laid on the table they were gathered around.

I decide not to say anything, my report can wait.

"Ah, Melchiott."

"Sir!" I saluted to Mr. Marcus as he walked up.

At the age of 58, Mr. Marcus was old, but he possessed the necessary wisdom and experience to be the head of our town watch. He makes his way around the other team captains and stops right in front of me. I never realized how scary he can be up close.

"I heard that you, Jean, and Miguro encountered a couple of Imps."

"Yes sir, we did, sir."

"Hmm… so they're not far then…" he says as he rubs his thick beard. "We're going to have to hasten the evacuations."

"Ah, sir." I raise my hand. "Noce and his group also encountered a couple of them. But-"

"-he's told me that already. That boy did a damn good job getting rid of those bastards." Sir Marcus contemplates on the situation as he turns around and returns to his place by the table. "Glewin, Joseph, take a couple of our men and check the remaining houses in this region… You, and you, set up a perimeter around the central…" After watching Marcus point at the map while giving instructions to the other captains, I realize that my stay has expired.

I'm free to go now, right?

With one final salute (I'm not even sure if they see it), I leave the busy meeting room behind. It felt a little rude, with him just ignoring me like that without an actual dismissal, but I understand since everybody's busy and concerned with the coming invasion.

* * *

Noce was waiting for me by a tree the moment a stepped out. I'm not really that surprised though. Amazingly enough, he doesn't notice me even as I walk past him. I stop for a while and check just why, turns out that he's buried in his writing. With an acoustic guitar held in his hands, he begins to sing a new hymn. This is probably his way of forgetting about the war. He becomes completely oblivious to anything and everything that happens around him when he's writing a poem or a song, which I find a little cute if not entertaining.

Oh! That reminds me.

I haven't finished cleaning up the Bakery, so I should finish that up while it's my free time.

* * *

The Bakery is just as abandoned as the rest of the town. It's just little ol' me here, with the owner already having left with her son. The bakery is more like a boring old storehouse now. Long gone are the times when people come and visit early in the morning with smiles in their faces. The colorful mornings have faded now and have instead been replaced by the gloomy look of a storehouse stacked with wooden crates. Is there even anything else left to be done? I mean…

_Sniff. Sniff._

Bread? Having worked in a bakery for such a long time, it seems that my nose gained the uncanny ability to detect the faintest smell of flour and bread. I close my eyes and begin sniffing in the dark room. Following my nose, I end up in front of the oven. Though for now, it's blanketed by a brown cloth. Can there really be some bread still left in there?

"Hello…"

I lift the cloth slowly and twist the metal handle. The oven opens up, revealing to me a few bread rolls neatly stacked on top of each other. This is really interesting. But I wonder if they're still edible. I reach inside and take out one of the rolls. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, and it doesn't look that old. Oh, this is the bread I made this morning, but it looks like I forgot about it. It still smells fine, and after taking a small nibble, it turns out that they still taste pretty good. Though, they probably need some heating up.

"Now what…"

I can't eat all of these. I'll get fat! Noce wouldn't mind, for sure, but he looks like he's far too busy to eat some bread with me. Well then, there's an alternative to everything, and everyone. With the face of a very specific man imagined in my head, I get to work. It would go against everything I believed in if I just left this bread here! Plus, chances are, the Imperials are going to find the bread rolls and _eat them. _Thus, further giving them the drive to push forward. The enemy must not take hold of these.

"Hee hee."

* * *

The Gunther House is located a bit far from the town center. It stands as a three-storey household sitting level on high ground. Blue-green tiles cover the rooftop with simple looking windows enclosing the brick walls. I've also noticed that there's a big barn connected to the back of the house, I've always wondered what was in there. Maybe now, I can find a way to sneak in there. Heh.

The dirt path leading to the house doesn't seem to be walked on often. There are very few footprints here and there, and they're recently made. I spot Welkin and Isara ahead, talking with a stout woman. How should I approach this? I've wrapped the bread in a paper bag and I've freshened up a bit, but I still don't know how to approach the situation. Hmmm… hmmm….mmmm… What am I doing, making such a big deal about this?

"…I've already had four of them!" the woman says just as I walk up.

"Hello there." I lower the tall bag of bread. "Um… is Welkin in?"

"Oh, hello Alicia. What brings you here?" Welkin says, looking at the bag of bread.

I walk toward the three of them and smile. "I just wanted to apologize for before. I'm sorry for mistaking you for a spy like that." I push forward the bread into his arms. "Um, here! This is for you."

Welkin moves back and looks curiously at the bread. What? Is it a weird gift? "Really? These are for me?"

I nod.

"I worked at the bakery before the war broke out. It's where I lived too. That's some preserved bread I found lying in the oven while I was tidying up. But don't worry," I wave my hand carelessly. "They're newly baked from this morning; just heat them up before you eat them. Alright?" oh, almost forgot. "I baked it myself, so the flavor's guaranteed. Best you ever had!" I boast with my index finger raised.

"Thanks." Welkin says to me kindly. His companions, the woman and Isara, are apparently smiling at us. Are we being too friendly? "Uh, do you want to come in?"

"Sure, thank you for the offer."

Welkin turns around and leads me into their house. To my surprise, Isara and the kind-looking woman distance themselves from us as we walk in.

* * *

The three of us now find ourselves sitting around in the dining room, eating the bread I brought in. This house really is bigger than the rest of the houses in this town. The high ceiling makes the house feel bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. It's far from a mansion though, but the house is nicely maintained. Welkin explains to the friendly woman (who introduced herself as Martha) what happened to him, and exactly _why _am I apologizing to him with a peace offering made of bread. Also, I can't help but stare at Isara. She's just so adorable, eating that bread with very small bites.

"Arrested AND shot at? Hah." Mrs. Martha looks so amused by Welkin's story as she covers her mouth. Oh, and I just found out she's pregnant! I've taken a mental note to keep my eye on her while she evacuates. "You've had a busy day haven't you, Welkies?"

D'aww, Welkies.

"And what a lovely lady for all that adventuring. Good job Welkies!" Martha resembles Welkin somewhat, they both have brown hair and they sound really close. Are they related? Wait, what did she say?

"What?" Welkin and I probably had the same look on our faces when she said that. "Wait, no! It's not like that. Alicia just saved my skin, that's all." Luckily though, Welkin waves it off as nothing more but a misunderstanding.

Mrs. Martha lowers her hand and frowns subtly. I better do my half of the convincing.

"He's right, we just met. I'm not his girlfriend, just his hero." but, is it alright for me to say that? He _did _help me out a lot. Like, by saving me from that explosion, and telling me to cool down.

"Although I'm really hoping to be his friend." I add, he's an interesting person I want to get to know better.

Martha nods in understanding. "Oh, well I'm sure you will. Be good to my Welkies here, won't you?"

Welkin doesn't look all that comfortable. In fact, he's rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment. "Okay, seriously Martha. Enough with the Welkies already."

"Ohoho~" Mrs. Martha laughs teasingly as she breaks some of the bread.

I'm glad to see that everyone's enjoying the food I made. It really means something when people enjoy my simple creations. While looking around their household, I notice a black-and-white portrait placed on top of the fireplace that really stands out to me for some reason.

"That's a lovely portrait." I say. "Is that General Gunther?"

The portrait shows a picture of a bearded man dressed in the old Regular Army's uniform standing beside someone else with a wrench. The second man looks younger and more innocent than his companion but what strikes me is the Darcsen cape he's wearing. I'm positive the bearded man is General Belgen Gunther, the decorated war hero of Gallia in EWI. He's long gone now, but right now, I'm in his house eating dinner with his son and daughter. It all feels so surreal.

"Yup. It was taken before I was born, but that's dad." Welkin says it so casually…

"That's dad…" I look at him. "…you're a lucky guy. Not many people can just so sportily say 'General Gunter is my Dad.'"

"Heh, well, that's how it is."

I say as I stand up and make my way to the portrait. It'd be rude if I just picked it up out of nowhere, so I point at it with my finger. "And who's him?"

Welkin just smiles as he glances at Isara, who was in the middle of silently munching away at some bread. She wipes a morsel of bread from her mouth with a small handkerchief. "That's my father, Theimer. He was an engineer. He was really close to the General. In fact, the General's tank is his creation."

Wait a minute.

"Wait a minute. But I thought the General was your dad?" I say, narrowing my eyes as thin as sheets of paper. So it _is _true that they aren't related.

Isara closes her eyes and leans back easily on her chair. There are faint signs of pain on her face, maybe I shouldn't have asked that question. "My birth parents died when I was a baby." Oh. "The General was kind enough to take me in as his own after that."

Welkin joins in. "Yeah. We're not related by blood, but she's definitely my little sister."

His words are so heartwarming, and I really do understand what he's trying to say it's just that… "Sorry. Was that question too personal?"

Isara shakes her head; she doesn't seem to mind that much since she doesn't look bothered by it at all. "No. I don't mind at all. I was blessed with two wonderful fathers."

"Yeah…" I can't help but lower my voice. She sounds so lucky, having parents and all. "…I guess you were, huh?"

The three of us then fall silent. I guess that talking about their fathers can feel a tad awkward. Welkin looks down curiously at the table and finds out that the bread rolls are long gone.

"Oho, I'm sorry, did I finish it all?" Mrs. Martha says while wiping her mouth with a cloth.

Welkin and Isara just stare at her with their mouths gaping. While the three of them engage in a minor joke-ish discussion about Mrs. Martha's eating habit while bearing a baby, my eyes wander around the room. Eventually, an old wall clock catches my attention. The wall clock resembles a wooden plate with a spoon and fork acting as the hour and minute hands. The long spoon is raised straight up while the short fork hangs idly on the number 4.

"Oh, is that really the time? I've got to get going." I stand up and politely bow to the three of them. I only have half an hour left before my next shift starts.

"Hey Welks, why don't you see her off?" Isara says as she looks up at her brother. "I can handle the rest of this myself. Martha and I can finish packing up, there isn't much left to do, anyway."

Welkin stands up and walks beside me. "All right, I will. I'll be right back."

How gentlemanlike of him. His dad must have taught him well in a variety of things. Welkin gestures his hand in an outward wave, leading me to the front door. Isara and Mrs. Martha watch us head off, as Welkin closes the door behind us, I lean to the small opening one last time and say,

"See you later Isara, Mrs. Martha. Safe travels!"

* * *

"Wow, look at this. Bruhl's really becoming a ghost town." those were the first things that came out of Welkin's mouth as we walked through town.

I agree with him completely. The long brick roads which used to buzz with activity from the few hundred people in Bruhl are now empty save for some white doves. The two storey houses and buildings are dead silent. We walked together through an empty, unpainted picture book.

"Everyone's been leaving for a while. Two days ago, in fact." I say as a matter-of-factly. "By my guess, the only ones left are you, Isara, Mrs. Martha and a handful of people."

I gaze down at my sauntering feet. "I can't blame them. Tensions are rising with the Empire. You saw what happened, didn't you? The Empire clearly intends to attack."

"Alicia…"

But then, I stop walking and look him in the eye. "We'll survive. The town watch will guard and protect the homefront. Everyone will come back someday. They'll come back when it's safe again, right?"

Welkin hears me heart to heart and nods in agreement. I look away from him and watch the empty town. Welkin Gunther… he originally caught my attention as someone who was doing something really weird in the middle of a potential warzone, but now, he's almost like a different person. Especially with what he demonstrated back there. He was so calm. Which begs the question…?

"Welkin, I'm curious. Are you going to join the army like your father?"

He pouts and runs his hand through his hair. "Hmm… I don't think that's for me." White doves fly away in the background, free and oblivious of the coming war. "What I'd really like to be is a teacher."

"Huh?" That's curious. I put my hands around my back and step closer. "A teacher?"

"Yeah." He begins walking again, and I follow after. "Animals and insects, flowers and plants. They've always been my passion. I've learned a lot from nature." His voice plays out like a recording of a wise man talking about his life's work. "I've learned a lot from nature. See, my dad, he protected this country as a general. It's just that, I… I want to give back in my own way. My own way, you know what I mean?"

We stop walking and face each other. "Wow, I think I do. You sure about it?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Wow, that's… deep." I look up at the peaceful blue sky, interpreting the meaning behind his words. "In your own way…"

Wait, I just realized that could mean so many things? Let's see, he can be a teacher and teach kids about the wonders of nature, but he can also give back to the world by helping Gallia protect herself from her enemies. My brain gets rattled by so many contradicting thoughts, that it feels a bit awkward just thinking about this.

"Hmmm… mmm… mmmm?" a tilt of the head there, a raise of an eyebrow here. Well that proves it, I'm confused.

"GASP!"

"…**!**"  
"…**?**"

The sound of a wooden guitar breaking in half instills Welkin and I to turn around. Oh, it's just Noce with his jaw firmly stretched to the ground. The look on his face is priceless, it's entirely frozen and pale. Though, I think he's overacting just a bit.

"Oh, Juliet~!" Noce says as he falls on his knees. "Why have you betrayed me with Tybalt? This sorrowful mantra of betrayal and loss…"

"Hmmm, that's interesting. He's comparing me to Tybalt, Juliet's cousin in one of Shakespeare's plays." Welkin says, rubbing his chin in interest. "It's a play that originated from somewhere near the northern region of the Federation, but the writer was interested in spreading his word to the rest of the continent, and even… to the world."

"Ahah…" I roll my eyes away from Welkin.

"So, Alicia."

"Hmm?"

"Who is he exactly? By the look of things he loves to sing, and he's wearing the same Town Watcher's uniform." Welkin squints. "Is he your boyfriend? The way he's singing sure sounds like it."

Noce has apparently picked up his guitar now. He's beating it and playing it while singing about the sorrows of this play I've never heard of. "He isn't. He's Noce, and he's a good friend of mine."

"Ah…" Welkin cocks his eyebrow and contemplates about something. "I think I'll go introduce myself."

I watch him stride off with an odd mix of interest and curiosity in his face. Soon enough, Noce notices him coming so he stops playing and raises his guitar like a gun. What a-

_Boooom!_

The sound of an echoing explosion shakes the ground. I lean forward, almost losing my balance. Welkin and Noce too, stop moving and turn their heads in the direction of the explosion. That sounded like a tank round going off. I run ahead, passing Welkin and Noce. What was that? I turn to my right, facing the direction of the windmills as if by instinct.

"That sound…"

What followed was a low whistling sound that came from above. The whistling sound started from a high pitch then it lowers over time. It sounded like… I look up to see a small object falling from the sky covered in smoke. It's moving way too fast for me to estimate its size because the moment it comes into actual view, it crashes into the windmills with a loud bang. My body is drained of energy the moment I see the smoldering smoke rise from the point of impact.

"Aaaaaahh!"

People screaming. The sound of people screaming. Then gunfire. But they weren't from the low caliber rifles that we Watchmen use. The rifles sounded bigger and stronger. More shots echoed far away, and I knew exactly what was going on.

"I can't believe it… the mill…" Welkin's voice trails off.

"No way. They're…" Noce tries to say something as well but he stops talking once he sees someone running toward us.

A watchman I'm not too familiar with runs toward us at full speed, almost tripping when he tried to stop too suddenly. He supports his hands on his knees while he tries to catch his breath. "Miss Melchiott, Sir Wordsworth… The Imperials… are attacking! There's a whole squad of 'em in town right now!"

It's time to get things done. I have to prove myself. "Get the town watch together, now. We've got to fend them off."

"Y-Yes ma'am." the watchman stands straight and salutes before running off.

Behind me Welkin turns to face Noce with a confident look on his face. "They must be at Mill Plaza. I'll help."

"Uh…" Noce doesn't sound too sure of what to say.

"But Welkin, what about Isara and…"

"Isara knows how to take care of herself. I trust her." Welkin's eyes begin to dart around, looking for something. "Pardon me, but do you guys have a spare gun I can use?"

Noce and I look at each other, bothered with how we're supposed to answer him. But then again, once you think about it, he looks like a guy who can handle a gun. Aside from that, he's the son of the late General. He should be a valuable asset in this urgent time.

"I'm Noce, Noce Wordsworth, I'll let put our rivalry on hold for the time being, Tybalt." Much to my surprise, Noce begins running in the direction away from Mill Plaza. Even more surprising is that Welkin follows after him without question. I decide not to be left behind; I left my rifle with Jean so I need a gun myself. "My friends and I started a makeshift armory near a shed here."

* * *

When Noce said 'makeshift armory in a shed' he wasn't kidding. Guns, ammo, and ragnaid capsules were stockpiled… literally. It was a messy dark room, but the rifles scattered about were a welcoming sight. Welkin knelt down and picked up an old Gallian rifle, the ones they used in EWI. Noce on the other hand opted for a more recent model, the Gallian-A. He picked up an extra –A and handed it to me.

"I'm going to stick with this…" Welkin gripped the rifle as he walked toward us. I never figured him to prefer the more vintage rifles, but maybe that's because he wants to use the same rifle his father used.

The three of us went around the small shack collecting ammunition appropriate for our guns, along with a few healing items just in case.

"I'm impressed, Noce. I didn't expect you and your guys to collect so many weapons." I smiled as I threw a ragnaid ball into the air.

"Oh, well, not exactly. Most of the things here are from the old watch. Y'see, this was the old headquarters before we moved in to the new building." Noce rummages through a brown bag filled with empty bullet shells.

After having satisfied myself with a handful of ammo and ragnaid, I decide to look around the shack a little. The windows are permanently nailed close but small beams of light enter from small gaps in the wood. An old table stacked with magazines and newspapers is in the middle of the room. Hold on… upon closer inspection, it turns out that those aren't newspapers, but are in fact old maps. They're drawn pretty… okay… but they're maps nonetheless.

"What's that you got there, Alicia?" Welkin approached me with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

"It's an old map of Bruhl." I look at him. "We should use this for reference to plan our attack."

"That's good thinking." well he sounds impressed. "Well then, what's the plan?"

"Okay." I turn the map around and point at the very center of the map. "The enemy has occupied Mill Plaza, we don't know how many there are, but we should attack with caution." I point a few inches down to where a small group of buildings is found. "We're here, the most direct route takes us into enemy lines, but we don't have much time to spare for an alternative route."

I lean up and poke the location that represented Mill Plaza. "The enemy leader should be here, if we take him out, the Imperials will be in a state of chaos for a short time. The rest of the town watch should be able to overwhelm them once that happens."

"There's no guarantee though…" Welkin said. "So we should eliminate as many targets as we can on our way there. But I like your plan, simple and direct."

"Uh, thanks." I put on a straight face and grab my rifle. "Okay, let's begin. It's up to us to defend Bruhl."

* * *

From this point on we were going to have to do some backstreet fighting. There was less Imperial resistance in between the tightly built buildings leading up to Mill Plaza. Furthermore, a couple of sandbags were scattered around in those areas. We placed those a few days earlier intending to serve as basic cover against the Imperials. We should take advantage of them for now. Noce took point with Welkin and I following close behind.

The three of us stopped and hid behind an old house after hearing some noise in the distance. Noce holds up his hand, telling us to stop. He then very carefully sticks his head out.

"Well?" Welkin inquires with a tap to Noce's shoulder.

Noce leans back in and points at his own eyes. "I see three; they're walking around looking for things to shoot down."

"I see. We should-" I was just about to suggest we sneak past but just then we hear a few gunshots go off from far away. "Nevermind. Those sound like the other watchmen. We should just push through."

There's no point in being stealthy now. Bruhl has officially become a warzone. Noce and Welkin nod at the same time, hearing me loud and clear.

Noce was the first to show himself, running out into the open with his rifle held firmly. He fires a few rounds at the Imperials and after a short delay, the sound of metal falling to the ground is heard. Welkin follows after him, choosing to run toward a couple of sandbags instead. When it was my turn to run out, I see the faint shadows of the Imperials ducking behind cover. Though, something else catches my attention.

"He's still alive!" Noce shouts angrily.

Noce points at the Imperial he just shot; the Imperial is trying to crawl away with a bleeding leg. Noce takes aim, the Imperial looks so pitiful but this is a war we're talking about. Just as Noce raises his rifle, off the corner of my eye, I catch another armored knight raise his rifle at Noce. I raise my own and turn in the second Imperial's direction. I let out a steady breath as I pull the trigger.

_Ratta! Ratta!_

My aim wasn't perfect, but I hit center mass. The masked Imperial falls to the ground clumsily at almost the same time Noce's bullets fly to hit the one before him. The last remaining Imperial breaks his cover and makes a mad dash across the street, all the while shooting madly with his semi-automatic rifle. Noce and I head toward the same brick wall as Welkin stood up and returned fire.

"Hey, Alicia. Who's that… guy?" Noce says as he reloads his rifle.

"Noce, I don't think this is the time for this." I find it funny how he wasted so many bullets shooting at one guy, while I still have more than a quarter of a mag full. I can tell because I counted my shots. It's a little tip I got from Mr. Marcus.

"Move up, move up, let's keep moving." Welkin says as he pulls himself up and over the sandbags.

I didn't hesitate and followed after him, Noce watched over our 'six as we headed off to the next section of buildings. As we approached Mill Plaza, I could make out the exchanging fire between watchmen and Imperial soldiers. A few more soldiers began running in the direction of the alley we were in, I could tell that they were really angry by the way they ran. The three of us once again hide behind cover. Noce and I stayed together, kneeling behind some sandbags as we fired a couple of shots.

_Ratta! Ratta! Ratta!_

Meanwhile Welkin rolled into a small gap between two houses. I lost sight of him after that, did he just run away? No, Welkin isn't like that. Noce and I aren't sure what he has in mind, but we should continue shooting. If he has any intentions of doing anything crazy, it's fine by me, but I'm going to keep doing my job. Noce and I didn't exchange any words as our bullets continued to fly through the air. Bullets whizzed past us, chipping the cover and the dirt, but we kept shooting. I'm sure the other watchmen are doing their best and we should be-

"Behind you!" one of the Imperials shouts to his allies as he twists his body to his right.

_Ratta! Ratta!_

Welkin emerges from behind a house and begins firing with the vintage rifle he picked out. The Imperial falls back with his gun firing madly in the air. His companions barely made out what he said, leaving them confused with what to do for a sec. Noce and I take that opportunity to aim our shots properly and fire. Again, even though we're experienced in shooting, we didn't want to take any chances. There was no time to show off with headshots. Noce and I followed the most basic lesson taught to us when we joined the Town Watch.

Aim for the center mass.

Our bullets did just that.

The bullets crack through their armor and skin, wounding them if not fatally. As the Imperials lay on the ground, Noce and I ran forward with all our strength. Welkin gestured for us to follow as he headed off in the direction of Mill Plaza.

"Pffft, show off." I ignored Noce's words as I ran.

The sounds of gunshots were getting stronger as we approached the Plaza. I could feel my heart racing faster and faster, they felt like they were going to burst out of my chest any second now. Even Noce was visibly sweating from all the action around us. We stopped beside Welkin who was kneeling behind a parked truck. In contrast to Noce and I, Welkin looked relatively calm and collected, though his face showed focus.

Mill Plaza was a battlefield now. From the houses, to the streets, from behind sandbags, to the open ground, shots were being fired from every direction. A thin veil of smoke hovered in the battlefield, making it smell like ash and burnt gunpowder. I spotted a few people in blue shirts hiding behind a destroyed rock wall. One of them was trying to tie his heavily bleeding leg with a piece of cloth while his partner kept firing at the enemy. A few paces a way, some Imperials were hiding behind a similar rock wall with their guns raised.

_Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…_

That sound…

From just beyond the enemy's side of the rock wall, the sound of a large engine could be heard. The Imperials hiding behind the wall begin to run away as if to avoid getting run over by something. Just then, a large brown-grey tank drove and crushed the hard rock face. Everybody on the town watch stopped moving the moment they saw the Imperial Tank. It drove forward with its large treads breaking the ground as a cloud of dust covered its hull. Behind the tank, it's Ragnite battery source glowed a bright blue. The tank comes to a halt at the very center of the Plaza and turns its short turret. The turret is lowered forward, showing the grooved spirals inside the cannon.

_Boooooom!_

Then it fires.

The force of the explosion displaces wind in every direction as the round exits the chamber. The round moved too fast for my eyes. At the exact moment the sound of the explosion reaches my ears, the tank's round strikes the two watchmen hiding behind the rock wall. They never stood a chance. Red fire explodes all around them, devouring their whole being. Inspired by the presence of the war engine, the Imperials begin making a push forward.

"Damn. Alicia, we should fall back." Noce says, grabbing my arm. "That tank, we're not equipped to fight that!"

Town Watchmen run past us as I struggle for a decision. Just then, Welkin comes up, walking backwards while shooting.

"Alicia, let's go. Mill Plaza's done for. We should regroup and rethink a new plan." Welkin continues walking backward while he reloads.

I look at Noce; the look on his face tells me that this is no time to act brave and stupid. I take his hand and we stand up, following after Welkin and the rest of Bruhl's brave men. While running to Welkin and the rest, I notice Welkin hold out a stick grenade. After pausing for a moment, he throws the blue grenade with an expert throw. Noce and I watch expectantly as the grenade lands just beneath the tank, very close to the ragnite battery exposed on its back.

The grenade explodes into a blue mist, covering the whole tank. A few watchmen stop running to wait for the result… and… the tank emerges unharmed.

"Hmm… I thought that'd work." Welkin contemplates in the middle of the street. Doesn't he realize how easy it is for him to be shot at when he's thinking aloud like that!

"Hey!" I drag Noce along with me while I hook my arm around Welkin's neck, dragging him to a nearby alley. "Let's go into the streets, it'll be hard for the tank to follow us here."

The few of us watchmen find solace inside a house that someone kicked open. I know that it's rude breaking into someone's abandoned home like this, but desperate times call for desperate measures! When we got inside with a few of the watchmen, we just couldn't help but collapse on the ground.

"Now what do we do?" Noce pants heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"There's no choice…" Though, I'm doing the same thing. "…we should… stay here, dig our heels in, and try to hold them off for as long as possible. The rest of the citizens should be… escaping after hearing the commotion."

Noce opens his mouth to try and say something, but he collapses back into panting.

"I'm going to have to go back for Isara and Martha." Welkin leans on a wall, hugging his rifle.

"Go ahead, we'll do our best to keep them occupied here." I tell him without doubt. I have to do my job of protecting this town.

Welkin looks at me once, then looks straight ahead into the open street. Noce gets up on his feet and stands between us, loading his rifle with a brand new magazine.

"Go do what you have to do, Tybalt. Juliet'n I will hold back the final act." Then, without warning, Noce runs out into the streets and fires his rifle.

Welkin watches him do this and a look of compassion crosses his face. He looks at me as he gets back on his feet. "Alicia, good luck." His words were simple yet sincere, and I understood completely what he wanted me to do. I wasn't going to disappoint. Everyone in this war has something they must do, and Welkin right now has to protect his little sister. I stand up and give him a light punch to the chest.

"You too Welkies, you too." I decide to tease him one last bit before running after Noce and the rest of Bruhl's Town Watch.

* * *

Valkyria Chronicles  
**The Cascading Emotions of Warfare  
**: End Chapter 1 :

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Yay, finished chapter. As you can see, we're following the story through Alicia now, so I _will_ be changing narrations every few chapters. The next chapter should contain a lot more action than this chapter. There's nothing much to say except that my classes are going to start on Wednesday so I might be taking a bit more time updating this. But rest assured, it shall be updated.


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